How to Make a Bell Lanyard

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Things You'll Need

  • Two lengths of rope, each at least six times the desired length of the finished lanyard

  • Whipping twine (optional)

  • Small brass shackle or metal split ring

Sailors often consider a ship's bell the heart of it; a bell lanyard, far from being a simple stretch of rope, acts as the symbol of the crew's pride in their ship, and grows in complexity with the size of the ship. If you have a bell on your boat and would like to add a decorative lanyard to it, you can knot a simple one from a few lengths of rope.

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Step 1

Double the two strands of rope, forming a loop. You will use this loop to attach the lanyard to the bell.

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Step 2

Form a crown knot by tucking each of the four strands of rope over its neighbor. If you find it difficult to begin a crown knot from the four unsecured strands, you can temporarily tape or tie the ropes together with twine to make it easier.

Step 3

Create a second crown knot. If you would like your finished lanyard to have a spiral pattern with a roughly circular cross-section, form the crown knot in the same direction as the previous one; if you prefer a straight pattern with a square cross-section, reverse the direction from the previous crown knot.

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Step 4

Continue tying crown knots in this manner until you are close to the end of the strands of rope, forming a continuous crown sinnet.

Step 5

Secure the ends by burning them. Alternatively, fold the ends back along the finished crown sinnet and tape or whip them (see Resources).

Step 6

Connect the lanyard to the hole in the bell's clapper using the brass shackle or split metal ring.

Tip

Add an extra decorative touch to your bell lanyard by covering the taped or whipped ends of the crown sinnet with a turk's head knot worked from a separate length of rope (see Resources).

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references & resources